FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 6th, 2013
25.1 MILLION WATCH “NFL KICKOFF” ON NBC; 3RD MOST-WATCHED “NFL KICKOFF” GAME IN 12-YEAR HISTORY
Ravens-Broncos Viewership Up 5% From ’12 Opener
Game Dominates Primetime Competition – Doubling All Other Broadcast Nets
Combined in Viewership and Adult 18-49 Rating
More Than 20 Million Live Stream Minutes Consumed Through NBC Sports Live Extra
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 6, 2013 – Despite a 33-minute weather delay that pushed kickoff past 9 p.m. ET, last night’s ‘NFL Kickoff’ on NBC was watched by 25.1 million viewers — up 5% from last year’s opening-game and ranking as the third-most watched “NFL Kickoff” game in the 12-year history of the event, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.
The AFC Divisional Playoff rematch, highlighted by Broncos QB Peyton Manning’s NFL record-tying performance for most touchdown passes in a game (seven) as Denver handily defeated the Super Bowl-champion Baltimore Ravens 49-27, aired from 9:08 PM-12:25 AM ET following the weather delay in Denver.
The Broncos’ 22-point win was the second-largest victory margin among NBC’s “NFL Kickoff” games, trailing only the Manning-led Indianapolis Colts’ 41-10 victory over New Orleans in 2007.
Last night’s 25.1 million average viewership was up 5% over last year’s “NFL Kickoff” game (23.9 million for Cowboys-Giants), and ranks as the third-most watched “NFL Kickoff” game, trailing only the 2011 Saints-Packers thriller between the two previous Super Bowl winners (27.1 million), and the 2010 opener (Vikings-Saints, 27.5 million) featuring an NFC Championship Game rematch, as Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings visited the then-defending Super Bowl-champion New Orleans Saints.
Last night’s game had a national household rating of 14.9/26, the third-highest rated NFL Kickoff game behind 2010 (16.5/28) and 2011 (16.0/26). The highest-rated half hour was 10:00-10:30 PM ET with a 16.9/27.
DIGITAL: NBC Sports Live Extra’s live stream of last night’s NFL Kickoff generated record-setting digital numbers. Fans consumed nearly 20.5 million minutes, setting a new NBC Sports Live Extra record and making it the highest-trafficked non-Olympic, non-Super Bowl live stream in NBC Sports Digital history.
The 20.5 million minutes shatters the previous record for an NFL game on NBC of 10.6 million minutes, set last season for the Week 15 game (49ers vs. Patriots). Fans were engaged as they consumed 49.4 minutes per visit.
NBC DOMINATES PRIMETIME: The NFL game on NBC more than doubled the night’s primetime averages of ABC, CBS and FOX combined, according to official national averages for those networks (22.8 million P2+ for NBC vs. 11.2 million combined on ABC, CBS, and FOX). In addition, in the Adult 18-49 demo, Ravens-Broncos on NBC nearly tripled the night’s primetime averages of ABC, CBS and FOX combined (9.0 A18-49 rating for NBC vs. 3.1 A18-49 combined on ABC, CBS, and FOX). NBC’s 9.0 in the Adult 18-49 demo is the top primetime average for any network on a Thursday night since August 2, 2012 during NBC’s coverage of the 2012 London Olympics.
NFL KICKOFF VIEWERSHIP:
(All Games on Thursday Night Except for 2012)
| 2013 | NBC | 25.1 million | (Denver 49 – Baltimore 27) |
| 2012 | NBC | 23.9 million | (Dallas 24 – NY Giants 17)** |
| 2011 | NBC | 27.1 million | (Green Bay 42 – New Orleans 34) |
| 2010 | NBC | 27.5 million | (New Orleans 14 – Minnesota 9) |
| 2009 | NBC | 20.9 million | (Pittsburgh 13 – Tennessee 10) |
| 2008 | NBC | 13.5 million | (NY Giants 16 – Washington 7)* |
| 2007 | NBC | 17.8 million | (Indianapolis 41 – New Orleans 10) |
| 2006 | NBC | 19.2 million | (Pittsburgh 28 – Miami 17) |
| 2005 | ABC | 18.0 million | (New England 30 – Oakland 20) |
| 2004 | ABC | 16.9 million | (New England 27 – Indianapolis 24) |
| 2003 | ABC | 19.1 million | (Washington 16 – NY Jets 13) |
| 2002 | ESPN | 10.8 million | (San Francisco 16 – NY Giants 13) |
** Wednesday Night Game (First Wednesday NFL game since 1948)
* Early start due to Republican National Convention
TOP METERED MARKETS FOR RAVENS-BRONCOS:
| 1. Denver | 43.9/70 |
| 2. Baltimore | 37.6/61 |
| 3. New Orleans | 25.1/37 |
| 4. Indianapolis | 24.9/44 |
| 5. Nashville | 22.6/36 |
| 6. Albuquerque | 21.7/35 |
| 7. Washington, D.C. | 21.4/43 |
| 8. Richmond | 20.6/34 |
| 9. Sacramento | 20.2/35 |
| 10. Las Vegas | 19.7/32 |
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–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
